This project aims to analyze the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on the poverty and vulnerability of Moroccans, particularly children. In this project, researchers study the mitigating effects of the crisis by simulating measures related to the generalization of family allowances and more broadly to the reform of the social welfare system in Morocco.
A first objective of this project is to further extend the first study on monetary poverty among children carried out by UNICEF researchers and published in November 2020. The extension aims to assess the impact of the generalization of family allowances on monetary poverty and vulnerability of children in Morocco.
A second component is to assess the impact of the COVID crisis on multidimensional child poverty in Morocco using the MODA approach. After updating the results of the analysis conducted in 2017 and using the database of the 2019 ONDH panel survey, the researchers evaluate the impact of the measures put in place by the government to offset the negative effect of the pandemic and the generalization of family allowances.
Theme/Area: Impact evaluation on monetary and non-monetary child poverty in Morocco
Topics/Themes:
78 000 $
12 months
A few weeks after the start of the pandemic, UNICEF commissioned a study to assess the impact of Covid-19 on poverty and vulnerability in Morocco, particularly for children (Phase 1).
In addition to the negative effects on income poverty, this analysis revealed that the impact on children could lead to long-term negative effects on multidimensional poverty (education, nutrition, and health).
Based on this finding, UNICEF and ONDH have partnered with AIRESS researchers from FGSES in this new project to build on the work done in Phase 1.
The purpose is not only to pursue the work on monetary poverty through the simulation of the generalization of family allowances, but also to analyze the impact of the pandemic and the government's compensatory policies. Based on the conclusions of Phase I, this analysis will also be conducted from the perspective of multidimensional poverty, using the MODA approach.
Area 1:
- Methodological developments in terms of micro-simulation and impact analysis of anti-poverty policies.
- Development of approaches to capture the change in status from private to non-private following a social policy (theory and application).
- Development of numerical procedures executable on household survey data to calculate measures of poverty (monetary and multidimensional) and inequality.
Areas 2, 4 & 5:
- Operationalization of the MODA poverty approach on ONDH data.
- Update of the 2017 ONDH and UNICEF multidimensional child poverty study.
- Construction of transition matrices reflecting change in poverty status and vulnerability (population and children).
- Cross-tabulation of monetary and non-monetary poverty status (population and children); and monetary and non-monetary effects.
- Evaluation of the costs and benefits of the simulated measures (government aid and family allowances).
- Contribution to the identification of policy recommendations related to the reform of the generalization of the social protection system.
